Mississauga Naturopathic
Acupuncture is arguably the oldest form of medicine on Earth currently being practiced. Its roots go back thousands of years to ancient China, and yet it has a wide range of uses applicable to the modern age as well.
Acupuncture treatment involves placing fine needles on specific points of your body that, grouped together, form a meridian along which energy flows. The needles stimulate the flow, which can help promote your body’s innate ability to heal.
There are many different misconceptions about acupuncture, and many different questions people have about it. However, despite some skepticism about the practice, there is a large and growing body of scientific evidence supporting acupuncture’s effectiveness as a solution for a wide variety of ailments.
What Is Acupuncture Used For?
Acupuncture is useful as a treatment for a wide variety of ailments, especially those in which pain is involved. Below you’ll find a few of them, as well as scientific studies that support them.
Acupuncture Treatment For Tension Headaches And Migraines
A project involving researchers from Germany, Italy, China, South Korea, the United States, and the UK, looked at acupuncture for tension headaches.
By examining a wide range of different studies from various sources, they hoped to build a better picture of acupuncture’s usefulness. In particular, they wanted to find out if acupuncture was better than sham acupuncture. Sham acupuncture is a form of acupuncture deliberately designed to be ineffective. Researchers use it the same way they use sugar pills as a placebo in a study.
After looking through studies involving more than 2300 participants, they found that acupuncture was effective at treating tension headaches.
This team conducted another research project on acupuncture’s effectiveness for migraine headaches as well, and found that acupuncture treatments can reduce the frequency and severity of them.
Dr. Maria has found similar results in her own practice. If you’re dealing with tension headaches or migraines, an acupuncture protocol may help.
Acupuncture As Treatment For Stroke Rehabilitation
A Chinese research team conducted a clinical trial on the effectiveness of acupuncture in the early stages of rehabilitation after somebody suffers a stroke.
After examining 250 different patients, they found that acupuncture was a safe treatment option. More importantly, they found improvement in many of the issues common to those who have suffered a stroke. This includes neurological deficits, cognitive impairment, issues swallowing, and the function of lower extremities.
If you or someone you care about has recently suffered a stroke, an acupuncture treatment at the Mindful Healing Clinic may help with your rehabilitation.
Acupuncture As Oncology Adjuvant Treatment For Cancer Patients
A team of researchers from China conducted a clinical trial on the effectiveness of acupuncture on improving chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) in breast cancer patients, and found it to be effective.
In 2017, the National Cancer Institute held a conference on acupuncture for symptom management in oncology. In their report on the state of the evidence of the use of acupuncture in oncology, they outlined its usefulness in helping cancer patients deal with fatigue from both their disease and chemotherapy, hot flashes associated with breast cancer, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, dry mouth, and in pediatric oncology.
Acupuncture administered by a naturopathic doctor may help ease the symptoms of your cancer or its treatment and improve your quality of life.
Acupuncture in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia
It’s known that those with rheumatoid arthritis are at a higher risk of developing coronary heart disease. In the first large-scale study of its kind, a team of Taiwanese researchers conducted a trial involving nearly 30,000 people with recently diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis. Their goal was to see if acupuncture treatment could be used to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Their findings revealed that the study participants who had been given acupuncture treatment had a lower incidence of coronary heart disease than the non-uses. The same was true independent of age, sex, and the presence of other disorders, including diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.
Another study, also by a group of Taiwanese researchers, found acupuncture to be effective in improving the quality of life of those with rheumatoid arthritis in general.
Yet another found acupuncture was associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease among patients with fibromyalgia.
If you have rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia, these studies show that acupuncture is worth trying.
Acupuncture Treatment For Other Disorders
Research has shown acupuncture to be effective as treatment for a number of other disorders as well, including:
- Sleep problems
- Stress
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Osteoarthritis
- Weight loss
- Drug addiction
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Knee pain
- Low and high blood pressure
- Peptic ulcer
- Menstrual irregularities
- Dysentery
- Allergies
- Tourette syndrome
- Whooping cough
- Sciatica
- Dental pain
- Tennis elbow
Research is ongoing into a number of other applications for acupuncture.
If you’re dealing with one of these disorders, acupuncture treatment from Dr. Maria at the Mindful Healing Clinic may help.
Does Acupuncture Hurt?
Unlike hypodermic needles, the type used for injecting medicine into the bloodstream, acupuncture needles don’t actually pierce all the way through your skin. They just go deep enough to be held in place. And because they’re smaller than hypodermic needles – just a bit thicker than a strand of hair – you’re unlikely to feel much.
Some people will say they feel a light tingle or a dull ache at the point where the needle is inserted, but in general acupuncture is not considered to be a painful form of treatment.
Is Acupuncture Safe?
In the hands of a competent and licensed naturopathic doctor, acupuncture is considered to be quite safe. Side effects are rare and generally mild, including soreness, bruising, and minor bleeding.
However, if you’re pregnant, use a pacemaker, or you’re taking blood thinners, you may be at higher risk of injury. Let Dr. Maria know before your treatment.
In general, however, acupuncture is considered a safe procedure.
What To Expect From An Acupuncture Treatment
When you first arrive at the Mindful Healing Clinic, Dr. Maria will conduct a full naturopathic assessment of your current health state and needs. Once she’s determined that acupuncture treatments are an appropriate solution, she will put together an appropriate protocol. For best results, a complete protocol should be 6 to 8 weekly sessions and monthly maintenance treatments if necessary.
At your next appointment, you’ll lie down on your back, front, or side. From there, Dr. Maria will insert sterile, single-use, disposable acupuncture needles into the chosen points to be stimulated. As she does so, you may feel a slight tingling or sting.
Depending on your situation, you’ll relax with the needles inserted for 30 to 45 minutes. You should feel a difference after a single session.
Contact The Mindful Healing Clinic
Are you curious about acupuncture? Always wanted to try it, but don’t know where to start?
Start here.
Dr. Maria, chief medical officer at the Mindful Healing Clinic, has extensive training in the use of acupuncture as a therapeutic treatment for a wide range of different disorders. Contact the Mindful Healing Clinic to book an acupuncture appointment.
If you’re not sure whether acupuncture is right for you, you can always book a FREE initial health consultation with Dr. Maria. During that time, you’ll get a chance to sit down and ask all the questions you want about acupuncture, and about naturopathic medicine in general. Dr. Maria will answer them all, allay your concerns, and help you understand your options.
Contact the Mindful Healing Clinic to book your acupuncture appointment today.
